Think outside the box for your next SaaS marketing campaign
Marketing a SaaS business can be difficult. You’re selling something that only exists as lines of code, which means you don’t have a tangible product to show off. Plus, you’re probably trying to reach a niche user base – one that can be hard to reach and even harder to captivate.
However, with smart planning and the revival of classic marketing strategies, you can develop a SaaS marketing campaign that builds your brand authority and increases your sales. Here are five marketing ideas that can differentiate your business.
In-person marketing
As the world moves towards digital sales, taking an in-person approach to marketing can feel like a step back in time. However, making a move unconventional for modern SaaS businesses may be the very reason your business stands out.
Building strong relationships with prospects is key to maintaining customer engagement in the SaaS industry, where the sales process can take upwards of two months. While digital marketing and phone calls can seem detached, in-person marketing — like live product demos at trade show booths — can add a human, personal touch that makes it easier to connect. You can make a stronger impression on your potential customers, especially since you are able to take full advantage of non-verbal communication.
In-person marketing can also make your SaaS brand more tangible. Although your product may be digital, you can allow event attendees to test your product on a physical device. Additionally, you can distribute promotional products like apparel and business cards to give prospects something memorable to take home while increasing your brand recognition.
As networking increasingly moves online, in-person marketing will make your brand easier to connect with than your competitors.
Social selling
Social selling is an innovative sales tactic that involves using social media to build strong relationships with potential customers. While most businesses use social media to promote brand awareness and generally advertise their products or services, SaaS businesses that incorporate social selling focus on creating value for users. For example, instead of just promoting the launch of a new feature on your SaaS product, you can create content that fully answers the questions you anticipate from your prospects.
Social selling is a more useful alternative to social media marketing that proves the value your SaaS brand can bring to consumers’ lives and drives door-to-door sales.
Implementing social selling can also help you re-engage former customers more effectively than standard social media marketing, as it can involve one-to-one, ongoing DMs on platforms like LinkedIn. This is important because loyal customers tend to be more valuable to businesses than new ones.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a proven SaaS marketing technique that helps prospects imagine how your software can improve their lives. While it’s certainly not a breakthrough marketing strategy, you can get creative with your approach. Rather than exclusively writing blogs or optimizing web pages, you can stand out by incorporating video content into your SaaS marketing campaigns.
While video content should always answer your prospects’ questions and increase their trust in your brand, choosing video allows for more creative freedom. For example, you can use humor to resonate positively with your target audience or use audio and visuals to convey strong emotions that make your campaign more memorable. A software product can suddenly become part of a remote worker’s life journey, instead of being exclusively just a tool to get the job done.
Influencer Marketing
While influencer marketing is a popular approach when selling consumer goods, it can also be a creative way to reach your SaaS brand’s target market. When you hire an industry influencer to promote your product, you can reach members of your niche audience through the voice of someone they already trust.
Much like in-person marketing, influencer marketing helps you add a personal touch that many SaaS companies don’t bring to their campaigns. Instead of just imagining software when they hear about your product, your prospects can connect your brand to a real spokesperson.
Advertising by e-mail
Email marketing is sometimes overlooked by brands — and even when it’s used, SaaS companies often consider content before design. However, well-designed emails can deliver an ROI of over 4,200% (KING). When your email designs clearly show your brand personality and what you have to offer, you can get exceptional click-through rates in your target market and achieve better sales.
As a SaaS company, how you design your email marketing can directly reflect the digital experience your software can provide. This can further entice customers to try your SaaS product.
Improve your SaaS marketing
Thinking outside the box for your next marketing campaign doesn’t have to involve promotional stunts or big investments. In some cases, getting creative might mean going back to traditional marketing techniques — perhaps with a modern twist — and focusing on your relationships with prospects and customers. Try these five strategies to scale up your SaaS marketing today.
